What is your idea of success? A healthy view of success and failure plays an important role in the achievement of our goals. One man’s failure is another man’s stepping stone. Let’s explore just how crucial those views really are to reaching your goals, shall we?

Success, according to society, is the positive outcome of a desire. For example, think about those who want to start their own business. In order to be successful, establishing a business would need to happen. The ultimate success, which is what most people are looking for when they set goals, would be creating a profitable business.

Along the way to a fulfilled goal, there are many steps in between. Some will be solid and some rocky. How we handle these steps will determine whether we reach our ultimate success or not.

Failure can be thought of as not meeting our goal. To help better understand think of what it’s like when a runner, competing in the 100-meter dash has a goal of finishing first. When he or she doesn’t quite reach the goal and comes in second, third or any place but the one that earns them the blue ribbon that can be thought of as failure.

Have you ever heard of losing the battle but winning the war? We are conditioned to see any type of setback as a failure and only winning as a success. With goals this presents a unique challenge. There is a need to learn to stretch our minds beyond conditioning into new realms.

First of all, each of the steps we mentioned above can have an outcome that is different from the final outcome. Goal setters need to know that each step leading to a goal is fluid – they are subject to change at any time. In this way, we are able to amend our final goal or choose a new path to follow to reach our initial goal.

Let’s try an example. There is a person who wants to learn a new language. Their goal is to learn to speak Italian within a year. First, they start off by taking a course at the local college.

They don’t get along with the teacher’s style of instruction so at the end of the semester, they haven’t learned much. With that step, our person can abandon their goal as a failure or view this as a setback. In the second instance, it is necessary to choose a new path for the ultimate goal.

This time, our person chooses a DVD language learning series. The instruction allows them to set a pace they can live with and use fun visuals to supplement the voice of a native speaker. Six months later, they understand and are speaking passable Italian. The first step in this goal could be categorized as a failure but, because they didn’t give up and simply readjusted their steps, the goal itself was still accomplished and considered a success.

Suspending our perception of failure and success is necessary when setting goals. Each task on our goal’s to-do list can be a success or failure but that doesn’t mean our entire goal will be unsuccessful.

I’ve just completed a 4-Part series on Creating and Effective Business Plan and invite you to listen to the playback audio (Diva Talk Radio). This series concentrated on goals and business planning. Be sure to pick up the Action Guides that accompany the series and leave me a comment.

Since having pneumonia and basically bedridden over the last three weeks, I’ve slowed down just long enough to reevaluate various aspects of my business. A lot of times we get so busy that we do not take the time to see what is working or not working in our businesses. We neglect to strategically position ourselves to maximize the outcome of our ventures.

For me, I am notorious for just doing things for clients out of the goodness of my heart and not charge for the work I’ve done. On a giving note…kudos for me! However, on a strategic note to build my business’ financial independence…shame on me! More than not, the client did not even understand or appreciate how much time it took me to do this “freebie” for him/her but now expects it more and more.

Before you throw darts at me and say “well, you should freely give of yourself.” I agree with that statement to a certain degree. Yes, I am a very giving person and I DO give of myself…more than I would like to admit. I believe in “paying it forward.” However, let’s put things into perspective. Here are my top three priorities:

Faith

Family

Career

Stay with me because what I’m about to tell you will all come together in a few minutes. This is some powerful stuff, so get ready!

The more I freely give of myself to others in my business, the less I’m going to have to give to my family. Wow, that’s a bold statement! Yes, it is…let me break it down even further for you.

Bottom line, I’m in business to make money. That’s how I feed my family. That’s how I pay my bills. That’s how I can keep my kids in the latest fashion fad. That’s how I can take my family on killer vacations. That’s how I can…well, you get the point.

Business is business and that’s where my income is derived. It just so happens that I love what I do which makes me very good at it. I love my job plan and simple! It’s fun when I come up with an idea which makes me start rocking in my chair and don’t stop until I have a perfect plan for that idea. It’s awesome, it’s incredible…and I just love it. I could not ask for a better job, business, career or whatever you want to call it.

So you get the point that I love what I do for a living. Furthermore, I also love my family and my faith. My family survives on my business. My faith survives on my business in terms of tithing and offerings. Now, if I give and give and give in my business…then how am I going to be able to give to my family or faith? If I’m doing things for free, when I should absolutely be charging a client…how am I going to pay my bills? How am I going to buy my son the Xbox 360 that he wants so badly? How am I going to give to the missionary that I want to financially support?

You see, when you give too freely in your business, you are taking away from other more important priorities in your life.

So Kelli, are you telling me NOT to give anything away to my clients? Absolutely not! I’m not telling you that at all. What I am telling you is to make a plan, a budget if you will, of just how much time you are willing to give away in 2009. Only you can determine how much time you can afford to give away. If you are willing to give away 5 hours or 10 hours a month to help someone, then budget it and stick to that amount. For my business giving away 5-10 hours a month means that I will not be bringing in $500-1000 a month. Wow, that’s a healthy chunk of change!

I’ve got a solution!

Here’s what you do, sit down and make a monthly budget on how much your business currently brings in, how much your business needs to bring in on a monthly basis, how much you would like to see your business bring in on a monthly basis and then how much your business can afford to give away on a monthly basis. I want YOU to shine in 2009 and a way to start is to strategically plan.

Right now I am forming a small mastermind group called Strategy for Prosperity. If you would like to learn more about this mastermind group and possibly become a member, leave me a comment. Be sure to tell me why you would like to be a member of this exclusive mastermind group. I’ll send you information just as soon as I have it all put together. Some exciting things are going to happen in 2009. Are you ready?

Recently, I read a Twitter post from someone whom I have grown to respect and I was somewhat perplexed by her Tweet. She said, “is Twitter for me or is Twitter for someone else?” Then in another post she said, “should Twitter be me focused or others focused?” These posts got me thinking. In the world of Social Networks, the ultimate goal is to…well, “socialize”…build relationships of sorts…create friendships with folks that you would probably never meet face-to-face. While building these relationships you learn who you can trust and who you think are a scam. Believe me, the true colors usually come out in various ways.

For example, just the other day I read a post about a teleseminar that sounded interesting to me. The gal who was being interviewed is someone that I have recently started to follow and am interested in what she has to say. She is considered to be an expert in an area that I am fascinated with, so I elected to sign up for the teleseminar. Well, to my surprise and extreme disappointment, the autoresponder that I received back did not have the link to listen to the teleseminar but a link to purchase the series for $77.00. This really annoyed me. I knew that this gal had no control over this but felt that she should be made aware of it since she was promoting the teleseminar.

This self-proclaimed “I went from flat broke, down & out to super successful, inspired, internationally recognized author and speaker” found a way to make an extra buck or two by not providing a link to the teleseminar but a link to his sales page about the series. This is slimy and makes me question his guys integrity. Because of this, I choose not to follow this guy. I’m sure he could care less whether or not I follow him, but if more people would stand up and make him accountable for what he does, then perhaps he will pay attention and change his ways.

After contacting the gal who was being interviewed, I did receive a replay of the interview. She said that she would talk to the interviewer about this “glitch” and get back with me. So, we’ll see what happens and I certainly will keep you informed as to the outcome. My sincere hope is that this was a true glitch in the system and not typical in the way this guy runs his business.

So, back to my first story about whether or not Twitter should be “me focused or others focused”. If it is truly a relationship building tool, why can’t it be both? When you gain someone’s trust, they are interested in what you have to say. There needs to be balance in your Tweets. If you are always trying to sell something, you will more than likely lose followers. Personally, I don’t give those the time of day if they are always cramming a product down my throat. However, once you gain my trust then by all means tell me what you have to offer and more than likely I’ll buy from you. Why? Because you’ve taken the time to build a relationship with me. Plain and simple.

Twitter can be an excellent tool for both business and personal reasons. But there needs to be balance, sincerity, integrity, and down-right honesty in your posts. Being transparent will gain the respect of many and that’s a wonderful thing!

I would love to hear from you, so leave me a comment. And follow me on Twitter, too!

Hello Divas! I have some exciting news for you. So put on your competitive stilettos and keep reading!

Okay, first things first…I normally do not enter contests for many reasons, but mostly because I don’t have time to jump through the hoops that are required for many of them. With that being said, this contest really caught my eye. As many of you know, I work at least 80 hours a week for clients and find little time to complete my own projects…THAT’S why this contest made me sit up in my chair and pay attention!

Here’s the deal…I have to promote this gal’s website. After reading about her, I have no qualms about promoting her. She is a determined woman business owner (perhaps a DIVA) and a mom. Qualities that impress me. Oh yeah, she’s a Realtor to boot! 🙂

Well, she has set guidelines in which to win the contest and one of the requirements is to post a blog about the contest. Now, once you hear about what Tina McAllister has to offer, you are going to leave this blog and jump on the competition bandwagon. I know you are so don’t try to hide it from me! Just do me a favor and leave me a comment or a Tweet on Twitter (@krclaypool) that you read about the contest on my blog. Plus, tell Tina that you heard about her contest from me. It won’t get me anything, but she will at least know that I’ve spread the word for her…you know shouted it from the mountaintops!

In brief, here’s what you get:

The prize:

A ghostwritten ebook (max 25 pages…if you need one that’s longer, then we can work something out at a discounted rate) for your business. Any topic. But no adult content. That’s just not my thing. And if it’s crazy scientific or something, then you need to bring some research to the table. I’ve got an MBA. I’ve written on everything from credit to health care to the gloriousness of baby booties. But I’m not here to write your next physics paper or something.

Okay, okay, okay, before you click over as fast as you can to Tina’s site, make sure you join me on Diva Talk Radio this Wednesday for my 1st series of Creating an Effective Business Plan. This is the first of four in the series. You can sign up for my Action Guide at BriefcaseDiva.

Now GO!!! Head on over to Tina’s site…sign up and start earning points. Go on, you know you want to! Just tell Tina hello for me. 🙂

I am so excited about our upcoming 4-part series on creating an effective business plan. Wednesday, November 26th, I will be hosting Part 1 of a 4-part series on Diva Talk Radio.

One of the best things that you can do for yourself, prior to starting a business, is to sit down and write your business plan. However, if you’re already in business, it’s not to late to plan for the future of your business.

A business plan will help you gain focus and think through each aspect of your business. It will also help you remain focused when you get discouraged or feel overwhelmed. You can figure out how to deal with possible problems before they occur.

I have put together an Action Guide for you to use during our talk show. At the end of the four weeks, you will have completed an entire business plan that you can start to utilize immediately. Be sure to sign up for the Action Guide by going to http://www.BriefcaseDiva.com. Once you sign up, we’ll email to you the first part of the Action Guide.

So join us as we explore and create an effective road map to your business’ success. We’ll see you Wednesday!

I’m sitting at the football field watching my son practice for his next game (actually I’m doing more “parent” watching than anything). He’s one of the bigger boys on his team…solid as a rock. With his long blond hair flowing under his helmet, I just grin in admiration because he’s so darn cute in his uniform. When he’s on the field, he’s totally into the game. When he is told to tackle, he’s determined to take down his opponent. When told to run the ball, he does it with such force and without hesitation. He completely has on his game-face when on the field.

As business owners, that’s how we need to approach our business. When working on a project, we are to stay focused and determined. When talking with a client, we are to have our game-face on. There is nothing more discouraging to a client then to be given excuses of why a project has not been completed on time. If you know in advance that you will not meet your deadline, you owe it to your client to be upfront and honest with him/her. Just like my son owes it to his teammates to be totally in the game, you owe it to your client to be completely and 100% into his/her project. The client isn’t interested in the piles of laundry that you have yet to get done or that your dog has diarrhea. Keep your game-face on and stay on task. Having a personal business relationship with your client is a wonderful thing to have. Get to know your client. What are their favorite foods, favorite color, any kids, school alumni, etc. By knowing this information, it allows for a great working relationship and a fantastic marketing tool to boot. However, know more about your client personally than he or she knows personal about you. Remember it is not about YOU, it is all about your client.

So, I’d like to know what you do to stay focused and on task for your clients. How do you keep your clients updated on the progress of their projects? How and when do you stay in touch with your clients? You’re comments will assist other work-at-home business owners succeed in their businesses. Thank you in advance for your willingness to help others succeed. Pay it forward, so to speak!